UCLA Sports Information Senior Parker McLachlin is one of the team’s top returners.
By Pauline Vu
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
After last year’s NCAA Regionals, in which the UCLA men’s golf team missed earning a berth to NCAA Championships by just four strokes, Parker McLachlin was quiet.
“It hurt a lot,” McLachlin said afterward. “A lot of practice and a lot of time was put in, and to only miss it by a few shots – it makes you wonder why you did all that practicing.”
Well, it’s a new season, and McLachlin is back on a team determined to avoid the great disappointment of 2000.
“The last two years we’ve missed it by about two shots,” head coach Brad Sherfy said. “Everybody has a concern; they want to turn this around.”
Including McLachlin, a junior, the team consists of two seniors, two sophomores and four freshmen. Through UCLA’s first two tournaments, seven of the players have already gotten a chance to compete.
At the first tournament, the Northwest Collegiate Classic, the youth of the team represented UCLA, with three freshmen and two sophomores helping the unranked Bruins to an eighth-place finish (out of 18 teams).
MEN'S GOLF SCHEDULE This schedule only lists the men's fall schedule. Date Opponent / Tournament 09/11-09/12 09/18-09/19
09/22-09/26
10-06-10/08
11/06-11/07
@ Nike Northwest Classic @ Inverness Intercollegiate - Kent University @ Husky Invitational @ Carpet Capital - Georgia Tech @ Prestige SOURCE: Sports Info (schedule is tentative) Original by JACOB LIAO/Daily Bruin Web Adaptation by HERNANE TABAY/Daily Bruin Senior Staff The Bruin men showed tenacity early on. At the Northwest they found themselves in 13th place after two rounds, yet clawed their way up to claim eighth by the end of the event.
True freshman Steve Conway led the Bruins and finished the tournament in a tie for 11th. He made the greatest improvement, shooting rounds of 70 and 74 in the first two days, but shooting a 64 the final day to move from 42nd place to 11th.
“That’s a phenomenal round,” Sherfy said. “That’s the lowest score we’ve had since B.J. Schlagenhauf (’99) shot a 64.”
Sophomore Travis Johnson was UCLA’s second finisher, tying for 25th. Freshmen John Merrick (T-33), Roy Moon (T-71) and J.T. Kohut (T-74) rounded out the players.
By the next week and the Inverness Invitational in Ohio, that roster became two freshmen, one sophomore, one junior and one senior.
McLachlin, who didn’t go to the Northwest because he needed to finish summer school, made the trip to Ohio along with Johnson, Conway, Merrick and senior Ross Fulgentis.
There the Bruins finished sixth out of 13 teams. McLachlin and Johnson tied for 13th place. Merrick and Fulgentis tied for 27th, and Conway tied for 37th.
MASTERCARD COLLEGIATE GOLF POLL This poll for men's golf was last updated 09/06/2000. 1. Clemson 2. Georgia 3. Georgia Tech 4. Arizona State 5. Houston 6. Arizona 7. UNLV 8. Oklahoma State 9. Texas 10. Northwestern 11. Florida 12. New Mexico 13. TCU 14. Wake Forest 15. Augusta State 16. South Carolina 17. North Florida 18. Auburn 19. Brigham Young 20. Kent State SOURCE: www.espn.com *poll data updated 10/04/2000 Original by JACOB LIAO/Daily Bruin Web Adaptation by HERNANE TABAY/Daily Bruin Senior Staff
“We finished terribly and made youthful mistakes,” Sherfy said. “We had guys play the backside (last nine holes) poorly. They’ve got to finish it off.”
At the helm is Sherfy, whose playing condition is as strong as his coaching condition. Last summer he played in his fourth PGA Championship.
The team’s top golfer is McLachlin. Last year in 12 tournaments, he had four top-10 finishes and six top-20 finishes. “Parker’s got a pretty good chance of being an All-American,” Sherfy said.
Johnson, last year’s freshman sensation who earned Pac-10 Honorable Mention, won the Long Beach Match Play tournament this summer. He also qualified for and played in the U.S. Amateur.
Over the summer Conway tied for second at the Nabisco Legendary Headwear Tournament. He also tied for sixth at the AJGA Rolex tournament. Merrick tied Conway at the Rolex event and qualified for the U.S. Amateur. There, he advanced to the second round of match play.
So far, the team is unranked according to the Mastercard Intercollegiate poll.
“That’s just the way it goes. By the end of the year, you’re gonna see us there,” Sherfy said.
This team has high expectations. They expect to redeem last year’s four stroke loss and, this time, make it to the National Championship.
“It’s about time to turn it around,” Sherfy said again. “I think we have the guns to do that.”